Laundry for one can be a chore but a mom-of-12 has revealed what a headache it can be when you’ve got such a large brood to wash clothes for.
Alicia Dougherty, from Pittsford, New York, has four children of her own and eight adoptees, and regularly posts about her life behind-the-scenes.
In one of her more recent videos she addresses the subject of laundry.
The time-lapse TikTok clip, which has been viewed more than 420,000 times, shows the 42-year-old mom ‘sorting laundry for my family of 14’ – a job which took her about four hours to complete.
Mom-of-12 Alicia Dougherty, from New York, regularly posts about her life behind-the-scenes and in one of her more recent videos she addresses the subject of laundry
In a time-lapse TikTok clip, which has been viewed more than 420,000 times, the mom can be seen ‘sorting laundry for my family of 14’
As the 29-second clip progresses, Alicia gradually starts disappearing as piles of clothing build up around her.
Many viewers have said that the video makes their laundry load look considerably lighter than they originally thought.
‘I’m never complaining about my family of four ever again!’ one person said.
Another added: ‘It’s been three days since my clothes have been sitting in the dryer for two people… How do you do it?’
Someone else said: ‘I though my one basket was a lot!’
In another video, Alicia is seen folding the laundry as she explains that two weeks’ worth of socks alone takes her an hour to sort.
Some viewers have asked why Alicia’s children, who range from four to 17, don’t help out.
However, the mom previously explained in a video about doing chores that she likes to do all the work and allow the children ‘to just have fun and be kids.’
She says those who have been through foster care deserve to enjoy themselves because they have ‘already missed out on childhood due to a dramatic past’.
The Dougherty family has grown over the years, starting off with Alex’s adoption in 2011.
Only a few days later, Alicia and her husband, Josh, found out they would be having Zoey after nine years of battling with infertility and miscarriages.
In 2012, they adopted James from foster care. Then shortly after they found out they were pregnant with Dash.
However, the mom previously explained in a video about doing chores that she likes to do all the work and allow the children ‘to just have fun and be kids’
Alicia and her husband, Josh, spent nine years battling with infertility and miscarriages
Alicia and Josh told People in a 2018 interview that all six of their adopted kids suffered from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and had behavioral issues
Many of Alicia’s TikToks show her planning meals, grocery shopping, and doing laundry
They took in twins Jason and Jordan ‘for five days’ a year later, but eventually adopted them permanently.
Alicia gave birth again to Bodhi Blaize in 2016, followed by Harley Quniton in 2018.
A short time later they adopted two more children, siblings Bree and Patrick, and then last year adopted brother and sister Dayshawn and Nevaeh – bringing the brood to 12.
Alicia and Josh told People in a 2018 interview that six of their adopted kids suffered from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and had behavioral issues.
‘We became known as the parents who could handle the difficult behaviors,’ Alicia explained.
Josh, an elementary school special education teacher, added: ‘We figured, if we’re already doing this for one kid, what difference will another one make?’
Many of Alicia’s TikToks show her planning meals, grocery shopping, and doing laundry.
She also opens up about how they go on vacation, get ice-cream, and attend baseball games as a family, which can be incredibly expensive.
In an interview with GMA, the mom said she got on TikTok during the pandemic as an outlet and ended up having fun with it.
She now has more than 5.8 million followers on the platform and over 940,000 on Instagram, using the handle @doughertydozen for both.
‘I think there’s just this part of our story that inspires others,’ Alicia said of her newfound fame on social media.
‘You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to be a picture-perfect, cookie-cutter family. You can be amazing and just show up.’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk